Under Secretary Burns: Travel to Singapore and Australia

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicolas Burns traveled to Singapore, Canberra, and Sydney December 3-6.

In Singapore, Under Secretary Burns conducted bilateral meetings with Singapore officials on both bilateral relations and on regional developments, as Singapore is the current ASEAN chair and country coordinator for the U.S.-ASEAN dialogue. The United States values Singapore as a strategic partner, particularly its support and contributions to the efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under Secretary Burns stressed the importance of ASEAN states, collectively and individually, supporting the initiation of a genuine dialogue between the military junta in Burma, the democratic opposition, and ethnic minorities and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

In Australia, Under Secretary Burns met with Australian leaders of the new government that came into office after the recent November 24 elections. He also participated with his Australian and Japanese counterparts in the next Senior Officials’ session of the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue, held with two of our most important Treaty Allies in the Asia-Pacific region. The Trilateral Strategic Dialogue covers a wide range of global issues, including the situation in East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, and areas of trilateral cooperation, including humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and counter-terrorism.

Remarks by Under Secretary Burns
--12/06/07  U.S.-Australian Relations In A New Era
--12/05/07 Media Roundtable Discussion in Australia
--12/03/07 Media Roundtable in Singapore